Wilbraiiam evelyn liardet



UNITED STATES PATENT union,

wiLnnAnAM EVELYN LIARDE'I, or onnenin, NEW sou'rn WALES.

MANUFACTURE OF EXPLOSIVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 417,429, dated December 17, 1889. Application filed August 13, 1889. Serial No. 320,661. (lTo specimens.) Patented'inSouth Australia l'uly 12, 1889 No. 1,356-

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILBRAHAM EVELYN Linnnirr, inventor, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Gambria,Darling Street, Balmain, in the Colony of New South \Vales, Australia, have invented an Improved Process of Manufacturing Explosive Coinpounds, (for which I have received Letters Patent in South Australia, dated J uly'12,

1889, No. 1,356,) of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to the manufacture of an explosive compound containing as ingredients picric acid combined with nitrate of ing and combining picric acid, I obtain better results as regards both quantity and quality.

By means of my process I shorten the operation of producing such explosive. compound by dealing directly with the active ingredient in the first stage of manufacture, by which and by such means I retain the active properties and prevent the waste of the useful material. During the first stage of my process of manufacture desiccation of the material treated isunneces'sary, and in the second stage such desiccation is minimized, and the time occupied in carrying out the process of manufacture is materially shortened.

By varying the proportion of the ingredients hereinafter described I manufacture a compound of greater or less explosive power, (according to the requirements of the material to be operated upon,) .and the operation of mixing the ingredients can be performed by persons desirous of using the explosive, such operation being absolutely safe in the hands of inexperienced persons.

The manufacture of an explosive compound according to myvprocess consists in the mixmixture.

of picric acid if it'is desired to producegreater solidity, and while in the state of so lution I thoroughly mix it with twice its own weight of nitrate of potash, (or nitrate of so- In the first instance I dissolve pi-' dium.) The mixture becomes solidified or of I a pasty nature when cooled. Ground cedaror other suitable wood is then heated and mixed in the dry condition with the beforementioned mixture in the prop'ortionof one pound of ground wood to every ounce of the The ground wood, when thus impregnated with the-pasty material, is further treated by admixture with a boiling solution of nitrate of potash in the approximate proportion of two and three-quarters pounds of nitrate of potash to every pound of ground .wood. I then add flowers of sulphur in the proportion of live parts of sulphur to eleven parts of the impregnated ground wood. I can dispense with the flowers of sulphur by increasing the volume or quantity of the mixture of picrie acid and glycerine.

For the purpose of producinga compound of greater explosive power absolutely free from danger, I mix the picric acid and glycerine with nitrate of potash in the proportion of one-fourth of the former to three-fourths of the latter, which, when carefully solidified, can be made impervious to water by known methods.

The above process secures absolute safety in' the process of manufacture and produces an explosive compound of great power, safe for the purposcsof storage and carriage, and particularly adapted for blasting operations.

The compoundis not susceptible to explosion by friction and the other ordinary methods of obtaining'explosion in the open air, it being absolutely necessary, when using the compound, to exclude it from atmospheric influences in order to bring about explosion.

Having thus described the nature of my said invention and how the same is to be carried into effect, what I claim is- IQO . purpose herein set forth;

1. That improvement in the art of manu lent which consists in first miziing the picrio acid with boiling-hot glycerine, as and for the 2. That improvement in the art of manufaeturing explosive compounds containing piorie acid and nitrate of potash or its equivalentwhich consists in adding to av mixture of picric acid with boiling-hot glyoerine, after the same has cooled, nitrate of potash or its equivalent at normal temperature, ground wood in a dry state, and nitrate of potash at boiling temperature, as herein set forth.

3. A process of manufaoturing explosive. compounds eontainingpierie acid and nitrate of potash orits lequivalent, which consists,

first, in mixing the piorio acid with boilinghot glyoerine; second, mixing with the acid and glyeerine nitrate of potash or the-equivalent and allowing the mixture to cool; third,

' sulphur, substantially as herein set forth.

Dated this 21stday of June,.l889.

. 'W. EVELYN IARDET. Witnesses: Y JOHN J. STONE, 7

Civil Engineer, Sydney. -ARTHUR J. STONE.

Cadet Engineer, Sydney. 

